Highland Responds to Illumination Project Report

Last Friday, the Governing Board of CBF voted in favor of a new hiring policy in replacement of a previous hiring policy, in place since 2000, which discriminated against all LGBTQ people. With the new policy, an “implementation procedure” has been approved which continues LGBTQ discrimination by CBF. In response to the vote from CBF, the Pastoral Staff sent out a letter to the congregation yesterday, which can be found on our Facebook page or at https://mailchi.mp/hbclouisville/a-letter-from-the-pastoral-staff?e=3b0e8bbee8.

The CBF Illumination Project Report can be read online by clicking here, with pages 19-22 containing the old hiring policy, the new hiring policy, and the discriminatory new implementation procedure.

What Comes Next?

Last year, a Task Force was convened at the request of church members to evaluate Highland’s affiliation with CBF in light of the previous discriminatory hiring policy. The Task Force paused its work in anticipation of last week’s decision, agreeing to reconvene and continue its work once CBF’s decision had been made. Now that CBF has made its decision, the Task Force resumes its work. The role of this Task Force is not to decide anything for the church. It is to conduct research and present its findings to the church in order for the congregation to make the most faithful, wise, and brave decisions in how we will move forward. Those currently serving on the Task Force are Jim England (chair), Mary Burks, Anita Roper, Robert Davis, Alecia Fuller, Steve Brown, John Pacyga, Kathey Golightly Sanders, Lee Cave, Terri Phelps, and Perry Dixon.